Subject: Caterpillar and nest identification Geographic location of the bug: Cumberland, Maine Date: 07/30/2018 Time: 01:54 PM EDT Your letter to the bugman: I have had a caterpillar and now little “egg nest” on my dill plant and am looking for identification. You have a listing of Purple Carrot-Seed Caterpillar. Might these be the same? How you want your letter signed: lfriedman

Purple Carrot Seed Moth Caterpillars

Dear lfriedman, You are correct. These are indeed Purple Carrot Seed Moth Caterpillars, but what you have mistaken for an “egg nest” is actually a group pupation. Adult moths will emerge. According to BugGuide: “Introduced (2009) to northeastern North America. Occurs in most of Europe, Asia and northern Africa.” BugGuide also notes: “The larvae feed on plants in the parsley family, mainly the flowers and unripe seeds. Hosts include coriander, dill, carrot (Daucus carota), anise (Pimpinella), fennel, caraway, cumin (Cuminum cyminum), celery, parsley, parsnip (Pastinaca), and cow-parsnip [per Agro Atlas, cited below]; also Seseli and Peucedanum according to BAMONA.”

Subject: What are these? Location: Elwood, IL July 13, 2015 6:10 am I found these caterpillar/larva on my dill and am not able to identify them. Can you help? I have swallowtaill caterpillars on my dill and am hoping these won’t kill the caterpillars. Signature: Penny

Purple Carrot Seed Moth Caterpillars on Dill

Dear Penny, We are still working on this identification. The internet is filled with Black Swallowtail Caterpillars feeding on dill, but we are having problems identifying your caterpillars. They remind us of the Sophora Worm, but we cannot find any record of them feeding on dill, their diet being confined to members of the legume family. We suspect this is some species of moth, and we don’t believe you need to worry about them killing Swallowtail caterpillars.

Update: 15 July 2016A special thanks to Jennifer who after nearly a year provided us with an ID for the Purple Carrot-Seed Caterpillar, Depressaria depressana, in the Twirler Moth superfamily Gelechioidea, which represents a new subcategory for our site. Jennifer also provided a BugGuide link where it states this introduced species and: “The larvae feed on plants in the parsley family, mainly the flowers and unripe seeds. Hosts include coriander, dill, carrot (Daucus carota), anise (Pimpinella), fennel, caraway, cumin (Cuminum cyminum), celery, parsley, parsnip (Pastinaca), and cow-parsnip”